Chile, the world’s top copper producer, reported its lowest monthly output of the red metal in nearly nine years on Tuesday, extending a string of seven straight months of declines on a running 12-month basis, weighed by setbacks at projects aimed at accessing higher-grade ore. February's production total of 378,554 metric tons was down 8.5% from January and 4.8% from a year earlier, according to data released Tuesday by Chile's INE statistics agency, the lowest since March 2017, when a strike halted operations at the giant Escondida mine. The drop in Chile, which accounts for ~25% of the world's mined supply, ... (full story)